Accelerate Mpls

Many of you are wondering what the heck a 1936 Auburn Speedster is. You are not alone friend, you are not alone. You see, I didn’t know what an Auburn Speedster was until recently either. But you know what? Let’s back up a tick and start from the beginning.

This particular car is owned by one of my neighbors. You see yet another neighbor at my cabin (remember the Sun Bum’s 1967 Mustang?) had a wicked cool car. However this time, I didn’t know the car existed. Turns out one of the neighbors by my cabin was a engineer in his younger years. For the sake of this article let’s call him George (George doesn’t want to be named). You see (you sitting down for this?) George didn’t know I was a car nut.

In fact George didn’t know that I liked cars. My cabin has been next to George’s and our families have known each other longer then I have been alive. Let that sink in…someone didn’t know I like cars. Guess I’ll have to try harder. Regardless, I didn’t know George was a car nut either. Well actually, George likes anything with a spark plug (huh that sounds familiar).

Turns out that the wooden garage (read four walls and a roof, NOTHING special) next door had a 1936 Auburn Speedster stashed away in it. Worse yet, my father knew! So we convinced George to take the Auburn out because, well it was a pretty day and I couldn’t stop drooling once I found out.

George opened the double doors to the “garage” and I was speechless. I’ve never seen anything like it. George wiped down the paint to remove the dust (you could tell it was his baby) and hopped in the drivers seat. He started up the V-8 and the car rumbled to life. Smoke poured our of the dual exhaust and I just got shivers down my back. He put it in reverse and backed out of the garage. The car was so ridiculously long. I was in shock.

My father went for the first ride but this isn’t about his experience. Then came my turn. I hopped into the red chariot and off we went. The long, long hood in front of me was like a red carpet leading the way.

The red leather seats were comfy and had padding in just the right places. I started asking George all sorts of questions. Where did this car come from? How in the heck did I not know it existed!? Specifications? History? How in the heck did I not know it existed (yes I asked that one a few times).

George answered every question I had with thorough answers. The car was hand built by him. Yes, you read that correctly. He bought some of the pieces here and there. Some were custom made and, piece by piece he put the whole thing together himself. Everything functioned flawlessly. The engine is from a 1969 Ford Police Interceptor. It is a 7.0 liter (!) 427 cubic inch V8. That’s Detroit iron right there folks. When I asked if it was fast, he slammed the gas – but just for a moment.

The gas was from last year and he warned me that it would knock under hard acceleration. He wasn’t kidding! It sounded like someone banging on a front door. He backed off quickly but it definitely got up and went. The power was put down through a transmission and suspension all off a 1969 Ford Police Interceptor as well. However, the suspension had to be modified and George did that himself too. The headlights are from a Cadillac and the bumpers were new, never even chromed. George had to have them chromed. And oh by the way, that engine, it was new! When George bought it, the engine was new and had never been used!

I can’t remember all the details on the car, but I remember the dash plaques. They were turned aluminum. George had them custom made from a guy out west. The metal around the windshield also had to be custom made by George himself.

When I asked George if he took the car to car shows, he immediately gave a stern no! I inquired why. I mean, a beautiful and rare car such as this!? Why not? Well, George told me that he built the car for himself. He doesn’t need prizes or awards.

He doesn’t want the attention that shows bring to cars like this. He just wanted to build the car and enjoy it. I found that to be a respectable answer.

So what did this experience teach me? One, the 1936 Auburn Speedster is a rare and awesome beast. Two, there are actually people out there that know me and do not know I am into cars (never would have guessed that one). Three, George is way cooler then I knew. Last but not least is four – I will be hitting up George next summer for another ride and the opportunity to take much better pictures.

I wanted to start this review off by stating how much I really like the current Chevrolet Tahoe. As far as larger body on frame SUV’s go, I like it a lot. When I received word I would have a Tahoe Hybrid to review, my first thought was how interesting it would be. Since I like the regular Tahoe, would I like the hybrid? After a week, lets dive in and find out.

The exterior of the current Tahoe is terrific. Changes were necessary in many areas on the exterior for the Hybrid model. These changes were for improvements to aerodynamics, which include a different grille, new lower air dam which is much lower to the ground, slight sculpting in the rear rocker panels and other little things. The wheels are also a different design, and are wrapped in low rolling resistance tires. The Tahoe is a sharp vehicle but the lower front air dam on the hybrid looks somewhat awkward to me. The lower ground clearance in the front meant I scraped the front end on a few driveway entrances. This is a full-size SUV in which I can scrape the bottom front air dam on a driveway entrance. That somewhat bothered me! I also like the non-hybrid grilles slightly better. Other then the front end and wheels, you will not notice a huge difference between the hybrid and regular Tahoe aside from the hybrid badges. Though I am not a huge fan of all the necessary aerodynamic changes, the Tahoe is still a looker and the hybrid model is not that much worse.

I also like the interior of the regular Tahoe and not many changes were made for the hybrid.  The battery pack resides under the second row of seats.  They can tumble fully forward.  The third row tumbles forward but does not fold flat like the current generation Ford Expedition and can be fully removed, but they are not light.  Make sure you do not have a bad back!  Also make sure you have somewhere to store them.  The front seats are very comfortable and will be easy to take a long road trip with.  The navigation unit is still disc based and the resolution on the particular unit in this Tahoe hybrid had a somewhat fuzzy aspect to it.  The words and everything just did not seem as crisp as other units I have seen from GM of the same variety.  You do have a hybrid mode screen where you can see exactly what is happening with the powertrain.  I found that,while it was cool, ultimately I would rather have the navigation map up or the radio station presets.  I found that to be more useful.  The gauge cluster has plenty of information to inform you what mode you are running in and how much power is coming from where.  The rest of the interior is standard Tahoe, which is nice – however a power lift gate on a SUV with this price tag would not be a lot to ask for.  Not to mention the lack of telescoping steering wheel!  Overall, the interior is a nice place to spend your time, but small changes could be made to enhance it.

The powertrain is a 6.0 liter Vortec V8 with active fuel management, along with two 60 kilowatt electric motors.  This was a four-wheel drive model, so the power can be pushed to the rear wheels or all four depending on the mode.  The transmission is a “2-mode” system that was developed in collaboration with Daimler and BMW.  The transmission essentially works in two modes, one in the city at speeds below 40 miles per hour an one at speeds above 40 miles per hour. Essentially one is a city mode and one is a highway mode.  They are trying to maximize both conditions with less compromises. It is a somewhat unique approach, seeing as most hybrids do not focus on highway mileage as much as city mileage.  I was highly impressed with the overall system.  The switching between battery and gasoline, as well as the combination of both, was very smooth.  I noticed the engine was operating in four-cylinder mode a lot more often then the Silverado I recently had with active fuel management.  This tells me that the settings are much more aggressive due to the battery and electric motor assistance.  The EPA rates the mileage at 21/22 mpg.  I saw an average of 19.6 mpg in mixed city driving.

The battery pack

The total bill for this Tahoe after options and everything was $56,810 including destination.  The only two options on this particular vehicle was the entertainment/destination package which was $2,390 and the red jewel tintcoat paint for $395.  Many features that are optional on non-hybrid models or that you need to upgrade trim levels for normally, are standard on the hybrid model – including the navigation package.  The base price for the Tahoe Hybrid with four wheel drive is $53,525.

So at the end of the week, did I like the Tahoe hybrid as much as I like the Tahoe?  The reality of it is that the powertrain and driving experience is much more seamless and refined then I imagined it would be.  I was highly impressed in that regard.  The bottom line, if you are in the market for a full-size (body on frame) SUV and care about the environment mileage numbers, then the Tahoe Hybrid delivers on the promise of better fuel economy with a refined hybrid experience.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors

Yup, that’s right, you are viewing the completely undisguised 2011 Hyundai Genesis.  Most changes are slight but still notable.  The front end has a new front bumper (see the lower air intakes) with updated headlights (reportedly LED’s), new front/rear/side skirts and rear bumper with Lexus LS460 looking exhaust outlets integrated nicely.  That new rumored eight speed transmission is obviously on board with the new BMW looking “shift knob.”  That eight speed transmission is probably hooked to the rumored 5.0 liter Tau V8 which is an update to the current 4.6 liter Tau V8.  Most likely the output will break the 400 hp barrier.  This engine will also probably be in the upcoming Equus.  Check out more spy shots at The Car Blogger.

Episode 30 starts with introducing this weeks guest Drew Dowdell owner of CheersandGears.  Moving into the garage we talk about the 2011 Ford Fiesta I was in for the past week along with the Chevrolet Malibu Drew was in. We then move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• 2011 Honda Odyssey (Link)
• 2011 VW Jetta (Link)
• 2011 Dodge Challenger details (Link)
• Hyundai Equus, Genesis to get 5.0 L Tau V8 (Link)

We then proceed to the clip of the week segment.  This week we featured an ad by Daimler proclaiming the best or nothing. (Link)

This week we introduce a new segment called car spotting.

Next came our main topic which was discussing Tesla and their upcoming IPO and everything that comes along with that.

Last we plug our respective blogs, Cheers and Gears,  AutoBird Blog and Accelerate Mpls.

At the MAMA spring rally I had the opportunity to take the new Ford F150 Raptor with the new 6.2 liter V8 off roading.  This was not the ridiculously awesome off roading this beast was made for.  We were not flying over sand dunes or even flying through the mud.  We were going slowly over muddy trails, up and down steep grades, and through the woods to grandmothers house we pretended.  Needless to say other then scraping a running board on a rock (sorry Ford) the new Raptor 6.2 handled everything as if it was child’s play.

Notes about the video – This was my first time through the course so I was unfamiliar with it.  I let the guides tell me when and where to throw it into first gear and also when to lock the rear differential.  The guides in the green shirts on the trail were representatives from Land Rover.  They set up the course at Road America Raceway.  Last but not least, the man to my right taking the video was Thomas Bey.  The man in the back of the truck you sometimes hear talking was a Ford Raptor representative.

Nissan has already announced the upcoming NV1500 and NV2500 work vans but they have not yet gone on sale.  Further these are the first shots of one on the road being used.  It seems they are testing them before they go on sale.  Speaking of going on sale they should be on sale before the end of the year but no exact time frame or pricing has been given yet.  Notice the Nissan badge is covered up on this tester vehicle.  With the Sprinter pulled from Dodge showrooms by Mercedes and the new Ford Transit Connect on sale this is a good time to Nissan to try and jump into the market.  Whether they will actually be accepted into the market in large numbers is a whole new question.

Quick recap on the NV1500 and NV2500.  They are work vans that will come with either a V6 or V8 along with a raised roof option on the 2500.  A standard five speed automatic transmission will be the only transmission choice.  Based on the slow selling Titan full size pickup, this should help the excess capacity at the Titan plant.

Source- Allpar

Surel,y I can not be the only one to say about freaking time!  That said, you know what they say, better late then never.  These new engines should make them class competitive in both power and fuel economy.

Quick facts to note-

Press release-

STUTTGART, Germany — Mercedes-Benz announced today that its upcoming 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8 and 3.5-liter V6 will post gas-electric hybrid-like jumps in fuel economy, 22 percent and 24 percent respectively. The engines will deliver more power, too.

Those numbers are not official EPA numbers, but are Mercedes’ own estimates. Further since a chunk of that fuel economy comes from the company newly standard start/stop system, it’s not likely to show up as quite as great a fuel economy improvement on U.S.-market window stickers since the EPA’s current testing standard doesn’t really reflect the improved real-world economy that comes from this type of system.

The new V8 is a direct-injected twin-turbo unit of 4663 cc displacement. According to Mercedes, the engine, which will appear first in the CL-Class coupe and S-Class sedan this fall, will pump out a healthy 435 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, up 12 percent and 32 percent respectively. Thanks to the direct injection system, Mercedes can run the engine at 10.5:1 compression ratio.

The V6 starts with a new architecture. It goes from a 90 degree V angle to 60 degrees. I has all-new intake and exhaust and will make 306 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes claims that an S350 (a model we do not get in the U.S.) will achieve 24 percent better fuel economy than the old S350. Again, a large part of the improvement comes from the standard stop/start system. No word on when or in what model the new V6 will debut.

Another element of both new engines (and one that should be reflected in EPA fuel economy numbers) is the addition of ancillary units that consume less of the engine’s power. These include water pump, oil pump and fuel pump. Both motors will also come with intelligent generation management systems

Source- Edmunds Inside Line

This past weekend, Autorama’s World of Wheels show came to the Twin Cities.  This show travels around the nation and is one of the premier custom car show series.  The show itself is put on by Championship Auto Shows.  Sponsors include everyone from O’Reilly Auto Parts to Meguiar’s.  I went with Jason Pawelsky and we agreed, without question, that the show had its high points and low points.  So! Let’s get to it.

1970 Mach1 Mustang

Without a doubt, there were some really nice cars there.  A Ford Mustang club was in attendance with a booth filled with Mustangs.  One that really stood out was a 1970 Mach1 with gorgeous canary yellow paint. It was one of the highlights of the show and was just a great looking car. It looked terrific and was sitting next to a fourth generation Mach1 (circa 2000).  Not to be outdone, the Mustang section had competition from their fierce rival,  Camaro.  A Chevrolet Camaro club had a section with classic Camaros from yesteryear including a gorgeous Camaro SS featuring a 427 in the engine bay.  Of course, quite a few new Camaros were on the show floor as well, sitting next to their vintage elders.

A number of old Chevrolet 210 sedans, along with the older Corvettes, were scattered throughout the show floor.  A 1961 Chevrolet Impala was getting quite a bit of attention, probably because it was un-restored and yet looked great for its age.  The car’s paint was not terrific and the interior was slightly faded but many of these cars on the floor were full restorations so it was nice to see something that was original and in rather good condition.

Supercharged LS9 V8

Another highlight was a 1957 Chevrolet 210 2-door sedan.  This car was being done by L’Cars Automotive Specialties in Cameron, WI.  A customer brought the car to the fine people at L’Cars and they have created one heck of a beast for the lucky owners.  Starting with an Art Morrison GT sport chassis and a Ford 9 inch rear end, including a limited slip differential as the base, the engine is a crate supercharged LS9 V8 from the Corvette ZR1 with a Hennessy cold air intake feeding the engine.  The supercharged LS9 is pushing out 700 hp to the rear wheels and 650 ft-lb through a GM 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission.  The exhaust is a polished stainless steel set up from Borla with dual 2.5 inch oval tips in the rear.  The exhaust system has an electric cut out system with straight outlets under the car.  Bringing all this to a stop is 13 inch Wilwood drilled and slotted rotors in the front and rear with 6 piston calipers in the front and 4 piston calipers in the back.  This whole vehicle was 99% completed and they were just working out some fuel delivery issues.  Without a doubt, this was one of the coolest cars at the show.

1957 Chevrolet 210 2-door Sedan with supercharged LS9 V8

Then there were the low points.  One of the saddest things I saw was a GNX and, if you know me at all, you know how much love and respect I have for the GNX.  It was just this particular GNX that just made me sad all over. I was excited when I saw it across the show floor but as I got closer and closer, my excitement turned to devastation.  The paint was in terrible condition with swirls all over and the rear window had a tint job that looks like a child performed the deed with a break in the middle of the rear window where a new piece of tint was spliced in.  The interior was actually in fairly decent condition but the engine bay, which needs no help after leaving the factory, was chromed out. From the ugly, oversized manifold in black and chrome to other oversized things, it was all over the place under the hood. Do not even get me started on the stickers! The thing was just a hot mess, except for the interior. There were more low points because several cars had terrible paint jobs with swirls in the finish.  It is one thing when you have original paint, but to restore a car with a new paint job and improperly use a buffer is just sad.

OMG its Doc Hudson!

Overall the experience was fun.  People were enjoying the cars and the atmosphere. A special attraction for the kids was the Hudson Hornet aka, Doc Hudson, from the movie Cars.  Friends know I am a huge Cars fan and so seeing Doc Hudson was yet another highlight for this big kid.  Overall, the show was a great way to spend a Winter Saturday afternoon as Spring and the season for fun cars approaches.

2011 Ford Mustang GT New 5.0 V8

The 2011 Mustang already had one large announcement last month about the new 3.7L V6.  With the new V6 putting out almost as much horsepower as the current V8 you did not think Ford was going to leave the V8 alone did you?  Of course not, the 2011 Mustang GT will receive an all new 5.0L V8 pushing out 412 hp and 390 ft-lb of torque.  What was important about that last sentence is simple, the 5.0 is back! This is no old school V8, modern technologies are in full force to help achieve an estimated 17/25 mpg (with the six speed automatic).  That 25 mpg rating on the highway is 1 more mpg then the Camaro SS with the six speed automatic.  Though slightly down on horsepower to the Camaro SS, the Mustang has a distinct weight advantage.

2011 Ford Mustang GT (Notice 5.0 Fender Badges)

Some of the new technologies packed into the new 2011 Mustang GT’s 5.0 were recently implemented in the new 3.7L V6 Mustang.  Both feature Ti-VCT (twin independent variable camshaft timing) new six speed transmissions (both automatic and manual), and electric power steering.  The new 5.0 will receive a large capacity deep sump oil pan.  This enables sustained high rpm use and what Ford believes to be a 10,000 mile oil change interval.  Handling should be slightly improved with the use of the stiffened rear stabilizer and improved rear lower control arms.

2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0

The new 5.0 is a huge step forward for the Mustang GT.  The 2010 GT used a 4.6L V8 pushing out a mere 315 hp and 325 ft-lb of torque.  The new 5.0 is pushing out a full 97 more hp and 65 more ft-lb of torque.  More power with the same if not better gas milage (depending on transmission choice) is quite impressive.  Both the automatic and manual transmissions are six speeds.  The manual is estimated to achieve 16/24 mpg which is the same milage as the 4.6L.  The automatic, as stated earlier, is estimated to provide 17/25 mpg which is 2 more mpg on the highway then the 4.6L.  The speedometer has been increased to 160 mpg while the redline has been moved up from 6,500 rpm to 7,000 rpm.

The new 5.0 V8 engine is not the only new thing for the 2011 GT.  New colors offered include Yellow Blaze Tri-Coat, Race Red, and Ingot Silver.  Also the fenders adorn a 5.0 badge heralding the return of the  5.0 V8 engine.  For enthusiasts a Brembo brake package with 14 inch rotors and larger calipers will be offered from the Shelby GT500 Mustang.  Finishing off this package will be 19 inch wheels with summer performance tires.  New convenience content is also on the 2011 Mustang including standard message center, integrated blind spot, MyKey programmable key, illuminated visors, universal garage door opener, and sun visor storage.

This overview provided to the press sums up the changes to the 2011 Mustang GT quite well.  “This powertrain honors Mustang’s heritage by raising the bar on performance while increasing fuel economy,” said Barb Samardzich, vice president, Powertrain Development.  The bottom line is simple, with the new V6 and V8 engines for 2011, the Mustang is closing the competitive gap left by the new Camaro.  The next step is that solid rear axle.

The pony car wars are back in full swing.  I covered this with the review of the Camaro V6.  I will not focus as much on the pony car wars rather, the focus will be on the Camaro SS itself.  The Camaro has been enjoying brisk sales.  Most are leaving the dealers lots at full MRSP.  The new Camaro continues to outsell both the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger each month since it has re-arrived on the scene, it would be fair to say the Camaro has been a hit so far.

This car is based on the Zeta platform, which is not a light platform.  Pair that with sophisticated independent suspension set up, and you end up with a heavy car.  To say this car is a porker, well, it would be justified.  It needs to call up a weight loss clinic and lose about 500 lbs quick.  The SS I had was equipped with a manual 6 speed transmission.  The cars official weight, according to General Motors, is 3849 lbs!  The Camaro SS is slightly heavier then the V6, and the extra weight is sitting directly above the front wheels.  You can directly feel this weight when driving aggressively.

Optional Inferno Orange Interior

The car I had was a 2SS with a few nice option packages including the RS package, interior accent trim package, cyber grey metallic stripe package, 20″ polished aluminum wheels, and inferno orange metallic paint.  The RS package is $1200, and for that you get 20″ flangeless painted aluminum wheels, body-color roof ditch molding, high intensity discharge headlights (xenons) with halo rings, and RS unique tail lights.

RS Unique Tail Lights

I like that the xenons that come with this package are bi-xenon.  They do not list them as such.  That means both the high and low beams are xenon, vs having the high beams be regular halogens.  The polished wheel package replaced the regular painted aluminum wheels that come with the RS package for $400.  The most interesting of the options was the combination of the inferno orange metallic exterior paint and the interior accent trim package.  This combination had the interior swathed in inferno orange from the stitching to the black and orange seats.  Also, we can not forget the orange plastic moldings.  This made for a very bright interior.  At first it was a little much, but as the week went on the orange interior grew on me.

The big draw to the SS is the engine.  Equipped with the lovely and ever versatile 6.2L LS3 pushrod V8 from the base Corvette.  In the Camaro SS the LS3 is slightly detuned to 426 hp and 420 lb-ft with the manual transmission.

When equipped with an automatic, the engine is no longer the LS3 rather the L99, putting out 400 hp and 410 lb-ft.  There is no question this engine is good for much more power with a slight electronics adjustment and some upgrades like superchargers and cold air intakes.  The car can handle the power just fine.  Rated at 4.7 seconds 0-60, the car is no slouch at the drag strip.  Seat of the pants puts you in the range though it feels a tick slower due to the heft the car has about it.  The car is rated at 16/24 mpg, and I can honestly say I topped the highway rating.  I took the Camaro on a road trip down to Des Moines, IA.  On the way there I managed a respectable 21.2 mpg average.  That was ok, but on the way back I averaged 25.2 mpg, which I was truly impressed with.  I had the cruise control set at 75mph both ways.  With the cruise control set at 60 mph, I would venture a bet you could get close to 28mpg.

This car could just possibly be the national symbol for thumbs up.  Everywhere I went someone was giving me a thumbs up.  I blew past a man in a Jeep Liberty, he was craning his neck to see the car so hard I thought he was going to drive off the road.  Everyone wants to look inside and tell you about their Camaro story from back in the day.  Do not go to the mall and expect to walk right in.  Someone will stop you to talk about the car.

I mentioned the interior in the last review and aside from the inferno orange trim package the interior is the same.  I love the retro styling that Chevrolet has done with the interior.  The graining on the materials is decent looking, but the materials themselves are very hard and cold.  The Mustang has the upper hand when it comes to technology when you consider the available touch screen navigation and Microsoft Sync system.

I hope for the next generation that General Motors can find a way to shed some major weight.  They could use more high strength steel, or more exotic materials.  Maybe they should just dip into the Corvette’s parts bin.  Make some body panels out of composite or better yet, carbon fiber.  A sticking point could become using more exotic materials becomes expensive quickly.  This car is not at a high price point for what you are getting.

The take aways after driving this Camaro for a week were pretty clear to me.  First, you always get out feeling like you drove an American hero or a national icon.  Second, the interior materials could use an upgrade in the next generation along with an overall diet.  Third, muscle cars can now do more than just a straight line.  Fourth and final, the American public has spoken and they love love the new Camaro!